Freaky Fred (episode)
Freaky Fred is fourth episode of Season One, written by David Steven Cohen and Bill Marsilii and directed by John R. Dilworth. It aired on December 3rd, 1999. It follows The Demon in the Mattress. Plot Outline Muriel's seemingly odd nephew Fred is coming for a visit, much to Courage's chagrin. Fred arrives at the door while Courage imagines all sorts of horrible things Fred could be. Both are anxious of the stay, though in a completely different sense. Instead of all the horrible things Courage fears, stands a polite, yet freaky man which seems to frighten him more. As Muriel invites Fred to sit down in the living room, Courage is understandably wary of him, especially since Fred is now visibly fixated on him. Eustace is about to leave for the hardware store to fix the problem of the bathroom door not opening once it's closed, however Muriel gets him to welcome and sit with Fred and Courage on the couch though Eustace ignores Fred after a gruff hello. After Courage notices a wristband on Fred for a "Home for Freaky Barbers" with a contact phone number, he tries to call Muriel's attention to it. Instead, Muriel has Courage show Fred to the bathroom so he can freshen up from his long trip. Forgetting to give Fred fresh towels, Muriel has Eustace bring some upstairs. While Courage nervously waits outside the open door, Eustace throws him inside and deliberately locks both Fred and Courage in. Eustace leaves and goes to various other places during the rest of the episode. As Courage cowers, Fred begins to tell Courage of how he first began to realize his compulsion to cut hair which started with his pet hamster while preparing to shave Courage. Desperate, Courage hides in the toilet, but Fred finds him anyway and pulls him out. During his reminiscing he's already used his trimmer to give Courage a mohawk. This prompts another memory, this time of his former girlfriend Barbara. Trimming more fur from Courage, Fred reveals they eventually broke up due to his shaving her bald. He continues to psychotically shave Courage bald. He goes on to say how he tried to control himself, but inevitably gave in. Once again, Courage tries to escape, this time down the sink drain, but is only half-way there (and half-way shaved) before Fred pulls him out. Oblivious to what's presently happening, Muriel reassures the two Eustace will be back any second and gives them pancakes. Courage pulls out a phone and begins to dial the number on the wristband, but Fred is quick to hide the number under his sleeve and to stuff Courage's mouth full of food to keep him from speaking. However, before another flashback, Courage grabs the wristband free. When a long bearded man arrived at his barber shop one day, Fred once again gave into his compulsion after only giving him a small trim at first. Afterward, it's assumed he was admitted into the Home for Freaky Barbers. He proceeds to shave Courage bald except for the tail. Taking an oppurtunity, Courage manages to dial the number. Fred beckons Courage towards him and despite insisting to a terrified Courage that shaving a tail "would be weird", Courage refuses. Sirens are heard in the background and Fred gets up to look out the window, with a sigh realizing he'll have to go back to the mental home. Orderlies break down the door. Restrained in a blanket in a manner similar to a straitjacket, the orderlies escort him away in a van with a padded back. Still smiling, Fred looks back on the farm wishing everyone farewell in his mind. Courage, however, is left with a little parting gift: "With Love, Fred" on his backside. Trivia *First appearance of Freaky Fred. His next appearance would be at the end of Ball of Revenge. *Fred is a parody of Sweeney Todd, another crazed barber. However, while Fred does display a rather bizarre obsession, he shows no other psychotic tendencies. Unlike Todd, who sought to punish the wicked or be "merciful" to the innocent by killing them. *Fred's ex-girlfriend's name coincidentally contains his profession in it 'Barber'a. *Fred says "naughty" 14 times. *The wristband Fred wears swaps wrists in the episode. In the beginning, Courage first sees it on Fred's right arm. Later, when they are locked in the bathroom, it's on his left. *The phone number for the Home for Freaky Barbers is 555-1234. The number that Courage punches in on the cell phone is 555-381. *Evil Weevil, who won't premiere until his self-titled episode, appears in Courage's thought bubble. *The various locations Eustace is at are on the side of the road (reading the newspaper), relaxing at the beach and finally sleeping in a movie theater. *The episode is known for it's rather disturbing and eerie tune that playes throughout it. *This is one of the few episodes in which neither Eustice nor Muriel were captured, threatened, injured, or killed. Category:Episodes